Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort

May 27 - June 6, 2003 by David

My wife and I decided to have our honeymoon in Aruba after reading up on the island and seeing that most people have a blast there. Well, we had a blast as well! We stayed at the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort and booked the honeymoon package through them which included vouchers for 2 free drinks, a free dinner for 2 at their restaurant, Mango's, and also a sunset sail. We got a honeymoon suite that was very nice and spacious. Fully stocked kitchen, nice soft bed, and gorgeous view of the beach.

We would definitely recommend the AMBR because it is in the low-rise hotels and is very quiet and peaceful. The staff is excellent and friendly, the service is great, and it is across the street from Eagle Beach. Well, on this trip, we decided to save money by getting groceries and cooking in our suite most days. We did eat at El Gauchos which like most people say, is absolutely fabulous. Huge, juicy steaks and also two guys with guitars singing to us. We also tried Iguana Joe's which is basic, but had a nice view.

Do not eat at some of the American franchises like Little Caesar's or Subway as the prices are about 40% higher than in the US. Unless you have a craving, stay away from them, and try some local food. As for activities, we tried to do as many as we could, but there are too many.

For watersports, we jetskiied, snorkled, snuba, Sea Trek, parasailed, and played in the water. Watersports are abundant in Aruba as the water is beautiful and clear as can be. Next time, we will definitely do more snorkeling in different locations and also maybe do some scuba.

We also went on the party boat, Tattoo, which was fun. Lots of dancing and drinking. The best thing was the Kukoo Kunuku party bus. Nice dinner, lots of drinking, and a whole lot of fun. My wife also had a 4 hour massage, facial, mud bath, etc at Intermezzo Day Spa on DePalm Island. She loved it. I got to play golf at the Tierra Del Sol golf course. Nice course, wonderful views, but hard as hell to play in Aruba winds. We also did the submarine trip and jeep tour. The jeep tour was interesting as we got to see a lot of landmarks of the island, but our tour had an uncovered jeep, which meant we got dirty and we got cooked in the sun.

But overall, we had a great time on our honeymoon. Aruba is wonderful, we even bought a timeshare for our anniversary week at La Cabana so we will be back again next year. We would recommend Aruba to anyone. Oh yeah, the shopping here is awesome, tax free, duty free and lower prices on stuff like jewelry, Lladro figurines, and clothes means a fun shopping trip. Aruba, see you next year!